Hydrocarbon fuel and process of making same



Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

" "UNITED STATES 1,614,559 PATENT OFFICE.

v Lns'rnn KmscHBnAUN, OF CHICAGO, rumors.

HYDROCARBON FUEL AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

No Drawing. Application filed April 1, 1920, Serial No. 370,465.-Renewed June. 8, 1925.

This invention relates to hydrocarbon fuels particularly such as areused in internal combustion engines and also resides in the novelprocess of making such fuel. One of the main objects of the invention isto provide an improved fuel suitable for use in internal combustionengines; to permit the use of low grade gasoline or other hydrocarbonswhile eliminating the caiLon deposit: ordinarily resulting from the useof such fuels; the invention particularly contemplates obtainingtheseresults by emulsifying in the fuel a desired percentage of water orother fluid in a very finely divided state; 16 and further features ofthe invention reside in the manner of emulsifying the fuel, in the .useof steam for obtaining inthe resultant product the desired percentage ofwater so finely dividedas to approach colloid-a1 d1- 20 mensions insize, and in such other novel features of process and product as willmore fully hereinafter appear.

While various other substances maybe employed in producing a hydrocarbonfuel within the scope of my invention, I Wlll first describe the processin connection with emulsifying about tenper cent of water n gasolineusing as an'emulsifying agent a. petroleum acid such as napthenic acidor sul- 3p phonic derivative of a napthene hydrocarbon.. Taking for.example one hundred parts of gasoline, ten parts of water and one partof the emulsifying agent, the latter isthoroughly dissolved in thegasolineand t5 heated to a temperature which is preferably above that.of the. boiling point of water. The ten parts of water are admitted tothe mixture inthe form of steam preferably very dry steam, the mixturetaking place in 46 a high pressure cylinder such as the cylinder of'a'homogenizer of the type shown in the patent to Gaulin 756,953. Forthe purseof obtaining a very thorough mixture of the gasoline with thewater While the latter is in the form of steam, I preferably '.employ asteam injector of any well known "construction, so that the steam underpres,

' sure will carry into thehighfpressure cylinder the desired proportiono gasoline with m which there has already been mixed the emulsifyingagent.

By this manner of mixing, the contents oft e cylinder, prior to theapplication'of. high pressure in the cylinder, will be in a foam likecondition; The application of pressure in the cylinder suflicient tocondense the steam will result in producing a liquid fuel such asgasoline, in which the water is so finely dispersed that it may be saidto contain palticles of water of colloidal size. This results in a muchmore stable emulsion and also a more efiicient fuel than where the waterparticles are of larger size.

Before being discharged from the cylinder the resultant mixture ispreferably passed through a homogenizing valve and then through acooling coil until the temperature is lowered sufficiently so that themixture will remain in a liquid form at ordinary temperatures. While Ihave set forth the process wherein gasoline is mentioned as one of thesubstances, other forms of hydrocarbon oils such as the distillateobtained from cracking processes, kerosene or mixtures of varioushydrocarbons could be used in place of the gasoline; also in place ofthe water there might be employed a mixture of water and alcohol and theemulsifying agent also varied to suit the particular requirements of theother fluids. By having the particles in the form of steam and thencondensing them while distributed in the other liquida product isobtained which is materially different from that obtained by ordinarymixing and my invention therefore resides in the product as well as inthe process.

What I claim as my invention 'is':

1. A process for producing a fuel 'suitable for internal combustionengines, which m consists in mixing a relatively light hydrocarbon oilwith a sulphonic derivative of naphthenic acid as an 'amulsifying agent,heating the mixture, introducing steam thereinto and condensing thesteam to produce colloidal particlesof water dispersed in, said mixture.

2. The process of producing a fuel suitable for internal combustionengines or the like, which comprises mixing a hydrocarbon oil with anoil soluble emulsifying agent, heating the mixture, introducing steam''thereinto and condensing the steam to produce colloidal particles ofwater dispersed in said mixture in emulsified form. 105

3. The process ofproducing a fuel suitable for internal combustionengines or the like, which comprises injecting steam and hydrocarbon oilcontaining an oil-soluble dispersing agent into a high pressure cham- Iher, and maintaining the contents of the chamber at a temperature tocondense the steam While finely dispersed in the oil.

4; The process of producing a fuel suitable for internal combustionengines, which comprises mixing a hydrocarbon oil with an emulsifyingagent, heating the gnixture and introducing it with predeterminedquantities of steam into the chamber of a high pressure pump such as ahomogenizer, liquifying the combination by pressure, homogenizing theresultant liquid and then cooling it while maintaining sufficientpressure to retain said mixture inliquid condition.

5. A process for producing a hydrocarbon fuel foriuternal combustionengines, con-' sisting in mixing an oil soluble emulsifying agencombustible at' engine temperatures with a hydrocarbon oil, introducingwater into the mixture to emulsify the water and oil, incorporating thewater therein -into a dispersed phase of the mixture, and the oil into acontinuous phase.

6. A process of producing a hydrocarbon fuel for internal combustionengines. conter therein into a dispersed phase of the mixture, and theoil into a continuous phase.

8. A process of producing a hydrocarbon fuel for internal combustionengines, consisting in mixing an oil soluble emulsifying agent with ahydrocarbon oil, introducing water in a vapor state into the mixture toemulsify the water and oil, incorporating the water therein into adispersed phase of the emulsion, and the oil into a continuous phase.

9. A process of producing a hydrocarbon fuel, comprising mixing anemulsifying agent with a hydrocarbon oil, and in introducing water in anevaporated state at an elevated temperature into said mixture to'emulsify the Water and oil, incorporating the water therein into thedispersed phase of the mixture.

10. The process of producing a hydrocarbon fuel, comprising mixing anemulsifying agent with a hydrocarbon oil while the agent is in a heatedcondition, and admitting to the mixture a quantity of steam, saidsubstances being subjected to pressure to emulsify the water and oil,incorporating the water in the dispersed phase of the mixture and theoil in the continuous phase.

11. A process for producing a fuel suitable for internal combustionengines, in cluding mixing a relatively light hydrocarbon oil with asulphonic derivative of hydro carbon oil as a dispersing agent, heatingthe mixture, introducingsteam thereto, and condensing the steam toproduce colloidal particles of water dispersed in said mixture.

LESTER KIRSOHBRAUN.

